‘They Were Absolute Professionals’: 1,763-Pound Ball of Craft Gin Stolen From the Bottom of a Swiss Lake
A steel ball of gin, right before it was lowered to the bottom of a lake to rest for 100 days. The steel ball has been reported stolen. (Photo: Ginial)
An 800-kilogram (about 1763 pounds) steel ball full of 230 liters of craft gin has been reported stolen from the bottom of Lake Constance, according to TVP World.
The missing booze, an aptly named Lake Constance Gin, calls for a 100-day soak at the bottom of the Swiss lake. According to reports, time spent underwater gives the gin a “very special aroma.” The team at Ginial has been producing Lake Constance Gin for three years, using its TEN Bodensee Dry Gin as a starting point.
The gin ball after it has been lowered into the lake. (Photo: Ginial)
Almost all of the anticipated 395 bottles of the gin had been sold, with each handmade bag prepared and ready to be shipped out just in time for the holidays. However, as the team arrived at the coordinates for the gin ball, “it was nowhere to be found,” said Ginial Managing Director Cello Fisch.
A diver searched for the gin three times, with all attempts yielding no gin. The following day, two divers joined in on the hunt. Still, no gin.
To add further complexity to case, the gin ball was also attached to a 500-kilogram concrete slab. Somehow, 1,300-kilograms (about 2866 pounds) of steal, gin and concrete were looted from the lake bottom.
“They were absolute professionals,” Fisch said, according to TVP World.
Additional help was offered by Commercial Diver Roger Eichenberger, who was able to locate the imprints the gin ball left behind.
Maritime Police joined in on the efforts, but still to no avail.
In the meantime, Fisch hopes that there were witnesses to the alleged theft, adding in that “the place is not far from the lake promenade,” per TVP World. According to reports, the gin producer’s insurers are unsure how to proceed with such a case.
“It looks very bad. The insurance company is not aware of any such case, which is why various clarifications must be made,” Fisch said.
The missing gin is estimated to have been worth EUR 36,000 ($38,173.68).
“Unfortunately we have to inform you that our gin scoop was stolen from the lake,” the gin producer wrote on its website. “It is incomprehensible to us that something like this is happening and that there are such brazen people who do something like this. A police report has already been made.”
“Of course we’ll try everything to get the ball back.”
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